WP4 Consumer Survey

Demographics

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Diet

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Which of the following represents best your dietary lifestyle?

Omnivore (I frequently eat meat such as beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish and/or shell-fish)
Flexitarian (I sometimes eat meat, but I am trying to reduce my meat consumption and often choose plant based foods instead)
Pescetarian (I eat fish and/or shell-fish, but no other types of meat)
Vegetarian (I don’t eat meat and fish of any kind, but I do eat eggs and/or dairy products)
Vegan (I don’t eat meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, or any other animal-based ingredients)

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Rank, in order of importance, the reasons for which you adhere to this diet (only the top 5 will be taken into consideration)

Taste preference
Environmental sustainability
Animal welfare
Personal health
Social responsibility
Makes me feel good
Spirituality
Convenience
Social/Cultural norms
Other

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Compared to a year ago, how much meat (e.g., beef, pork, chicken…) are you eating now?

Only asked to respondents that identified as omnivore or flexitarian

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Do you intend increasing or reducing your consumption of the following food categories in the next 6 months?

Meat products (e.g., beef, pork, chicken, etc.)

Only asked to respondents that identified as omnivore or flexitarian

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Do you intend increasing or reducing your consumption of the following food categories in the next 6 months?

Dairy products (e.g., milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.)

Only asked to respondents that identified as omnivore or flexitarian

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Before we continue to the next questions, we would like to give you a few food definitions that are important to know for this survey:

Legumes are sources of Plant-Based protein, and include lentils, beans, soy, and chickpeas (dried, canned, frozen).
Legume-Based foods are made solely from the seeds of legumes*, and include tofu, tempeh, falafel, hummus, and soy-based products.
Plant-Based alternatives are products made solely from Plant-Based ingredients and are developed to resemble conventional animal-based foods such as meat or dairy. (Examples include soy burgers and soy milk).

Which statement best describes how frequently you have consumed the following foods in the last 12 months?

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Before we continue to the next question, please read carefully the following definitions:

For the purpose of this questionnaire, Fermented Foods are defined as “foods made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components”. Fermented Foods are produced from diverse food substrates, such as vegetables, grains, soybean, milk, fish and meat. Fermented Foods often contain live microorganisms. Among those foods are yogurt, cheese and kombucha. However, in several Fermented Foods the microorganisms are not alive anymore, for example in bread, pasteurised fermented vegetables, soy sauce, and wine.

The products made from plants (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, beans, etc.) will be referred as “Plant-Based Food”, while the products made from fermentation on Plant-Based plant-based raw materials will be referred as “Plant-Based Fermented Food”.

Please indicate (with a cross or tick) how often do you consume the following fermented products present in the table, on a scale from “I do not recognize the product” to “I consume it 2 or more times a day”.

Attitudes

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Please evaluate the following statements about your attitudes towards Plant-Based Fermented Foods on a scale from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”. Prior to evaluation, please read through the following definitions.

I would be willing to try a product that is prepared through:

Traditional Fermentation is the process of modifying food via microbial activity. This is how beer, wine, yogurt, and cheese are made. Traditional fermentation is used e.g. to improve the flavor or functionality of plant ingredients.

Biomass Fermentation is utilized within food industry to grow protein-rich microorganisms. These microorganisms are used as ingredients for plant-based alternative proteins. Alternative proteins are aimed to replace milk, meat, or fish as protein source. For example, filamentous fungi grown via fermentation can be used as the primary ingredient of alternative protein.

Precision Fermentation uses microorganisms to produce specific functional ingredients. The microorganisms are programmed to be little production factories. This is how insulin for diabetic patients is produced, as well as rennet for cheese production. Precision fermentation enables alternative protein producers to efficiently make specific proteins, enzymes, flavor molecules, vitamins, pigments, and fats.

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Please evaluate how familiar you are with the following raw materials:

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Please evaluate the following statements on a scale from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”. During the evaluation, please take into account that food culture represents habits, rituals, values, lifestyle and traditions focused in food. Family history, heritage, ethnicities, geographical, climate, social and political contexts greatly influence the person’s food culture.

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I would be willing to try a Plant-Based Fermented ______ made from

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In which price condition (comparing to animal-sourced foods) would you buy the following fermented plant-based alternatives, that are optimized for taste, health and sustainability (multiple choice is allowed)?

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Please evaluate the following statements about your trust towards Plant-Based Fermented Foods on a scale from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree

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Please evaluate the following statements about your barriers towards Plant-Based Foods consumption on a scale from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”

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Intentions

Please evaluate the following statements about Plant-Based Fermented Foods on a scale from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”

Likeihood to try

Imagine the following products are available on the market. How likely are you to try them?

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Please evaluate the following statements about the role that Plant-Based Fermented Foods may have on social, environmental and economic sustainability on a scale from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”.

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It is important to me that the food I eat on a typical day is…

“healthy”;
“is a way of monitoring my mood (e.g.. a good feeling or coping with stress’)”;
“is convenient (in buying and preparing)”;
“provides me with pleasurable sensations (e.g.. texture. appearance. smell and taste)”;
“Is organic and natural”;
“is affordable”;
“helps me control my weight”;
“is familiar”;
“is environmentally friendly”;
“is animal friendly”;
“is fairly traded and locally produced”.

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Please evaluate the following statements about your attitudes towards Plant-Based Foods on a scale from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”, taking into account the previously given definition.

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Please, rate the importance of the following values as a life-guiding principle for you.

Use the 8-point scale in which 0 indicates that the value is opposed to your principles, 1 indicates that the values is not important for you, 4 indicates that the values is important, and 8 indicates that the value is of supreme importance for you.

POWER (social power, authority, wealth)
ACHIEVEMENT (success, capability, ambition, influence on people and events)
HEDONISM (gratification of desires, enjoyment in life, self-indulgence)
STIMULATION (daring, a varied and challenging life, an exciting life)
SELF-DIRECTION (creativity, freedom, curiosity, independence, choosing one’s own goals)
UNIVERSALISM (broad-mindedness, beauty of nature and arts, social justice, a world at peace, equality, wisdom, unity with nature, environmental protection)
BENEVOLENCE (helpfulness, honesty, forgiveness, loyalty, responsibility)
TRADITION (respect for tradition, humbleness, accepting one’s portion in life, devotion, modesty)
CONFORMITY (obedience, honoring parents and elders, self-discipline, politeness)
SECURITY (national security, family security, social order, cleanliness, reciprocation of favors)

Sensory

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Imagine a Plant-Based Fermented drinkable yogurt alternative with natural taste, not flavoured that is to your perfect liking.

For each of the sensory modalities (Appearance, Odour, Taste/Favour, Texture/Mouthfeel) please indicate (with a cross or tick) if the sensory attribute would be present in that product.

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Imagine a Plant-Based Fermented yogurt alternative with natural taste, not flavoured that is to your perfect liking.

For each of the sensory modalities (Appearance, Odour, Taste/Favour, Texture/Mouthfeel) please indicate (with a cross or tick) if the sensory attribute in question would be present in that product.

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Imagine a Plant-Based Fermented chicken alternative that is to your perfect liking.

For each of the sensory modalities (Appearance, Odour, Taste/Favour, Texture/Mouthfeel) please indicate (with a cross or tick) if the sensory attribute would be present in that product.

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Imagine a Plant-Based protein enriched bread that is to your perfect liking.

For each of the sensory modalities (Appearance, Odour, Taste/Favour, Texture/Mouthfeel) please indicate (with a cross or tick) if the sensory attribute would be present in that product.

About

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HealthFerm is the EU-funded research project investigating innovative pulse and cereal-based food fermentations together with the health effects and consumer perception of novel fermented foods. Work Package 4 “Consumer Studies” has the following objectives:

To identify levers to promote the consumption of foods & meals based on plant-based fermentations.
To assess and monitor the changes in consumer perceptions towards plant-based fermented foods in 9 EU countries.

To achieve these objectives, two cross-sectional surveys are planned, aiming to explore consumer perceptions of plant-based fermented foods (PBFF). For this purpose, HealthFerm set up a questionnaire that addressed attitudes, trust, behaviour, and market opportunities for fermented plant-based foods. The questionnaire included socio-demographic information that will allow for segmenting and statistical modelling.

This report is based on the first wave that took place between December 2023 and February 2024 across BE, CH, DE, DK, FI, FR, IT, RO, SE. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, locality of residence, education level, financial situation, and dietary habits), to ensure representativeness, sufficient statistical power, and to further control for known confounding.

The survey was completed by respondents who were recruited by Enkettfabriken, with a total of 7,812 participants over the age of 18 and at least 750 respondents per country, equally divided amongst females/males (50% each), and within five age groups: 18-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60 and 60+ (approx. 20% in each).

Participants provided information about their eating habits, although only self-identified flexitarians and omnivores were asked about their consumption of meat, and their intentions towards reducing or increasing their currents consumption levels.